


The Wrong Target

by Soulvaren5555



Series: Clone Wars Febuwhump 2021 [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Ahsoka Tano Whump, Ahsoka Tano-centric, Assassination Attempt(s), Except the assassin gets the wrong person, Family Fluff, FebuWhump2021, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Ahsoka Tano, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, No Beta We Die Like Clones, No seriously there's quite a bit of fluff before the whump, Poisoning, Protective Anakin Skywalker, Protective CT-7567 | Rex, Protective Padmé Amidala, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29298132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulvaren5555/pseuds/Soulvaren5555
Summary: Febuwhump 2021  - Day 7: PoisonedAhsoka ends up being poisoned while accompanying Padme, Anakin and Rex on a diplomatic mission. None of them realize it until it is too late.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Clone Wars Febuwhump 2021 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139531
Comments: 4
Kudos: 100





	The Wrong Target

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I definitely finished this last night, buuuuut I was too exhausted to post it and forgot so big whoops, but anyway! This one has been bouncing around in my head for a couple months, so when I saw day 7's prompt, it all came together and I'm happy about that!

Diplomatic missions weren’t normally Ahsoka’s cup of tea. She much preferred to be out in the battlefield, fighting alongside her brothers. It wasn’t all bad, however. Sure, they could get to be quite boring (unless it was followed by aggressive negotiations, as Anakin called it), but at least it meant she could spend more time with Padme, someone she quickly took a liking to.

Besides, Anakin and Rex were along for this negotiation as well. She and Anakin were there to keep Padme safe, while Rex was there as a back up, to keep everyone safe. In other words, he was the bodyguard of the bodyguards of the Senator, as she joked earlier.

They were making good time, headed to their destination in the Naboo Royal Starship Padme usually used to travel. They spent a lot of the time talking about their mission, and as they were discussing it, a concern previously at the back of Ahsoka’s mind made its way to the forefront.

“I’m worried about you,” she admitted to Padme, twiddling her thumbs. “What if someone tries to hurt you again, or kill you?”

Padme glanced back at her from the pilot’s seat, giving her a soft smile. “I have two of the greatest Jedi with me, not to mention a remarkable soldier,” she said reassuringly, gesturing to the three. “If that happens, we’ll be ready for it.”

Being referred to as one of the greatest Jedi made her smile bashfully. “Yeah. I guess you’re right, Senator.”

“Try not to worry yourself, Snips,” Anakin added. “If it comes down to it, we’ll just have to resort to aggressive negotiations, as per usual.”

Ahsoka chuckled at that, while Padme grinned and rolled her eyes. “Only as a last resort, okay?” the Senator requested.

Anakin shrugged and smirked. “I make no promises.”

“An- Skywalker!”

“Alright, alright, you win!”

“That’s right. I always do.”

Ahsoka was giggling behind them, while Rex looked confused, holding his helmet in his lap. “Aggressive negotiations, sirs?” he asked.

She turned to her friend sitting next to her. “It’s negotiations with a lightsaber. Or, in my case, lightsabers.”

It took a moment for him to get it, but he nodded. “Ah. I see.”

“Since you’re with us for this one, it can be negotiations with lightsabers and blasters.”

“Don’t forget me,” Padme chimed in playfully. “I’ve always got one on the ship, just in case.”

They were all in a good mood, and that alone reassured the Padawan.

_What could go wrong?_

* * *

As the ship landed, Ahsoka took in their new surroundings. The part of the planet they traveled to had little to no natural ground. It was instead mostly made up of a murky ocean, making it an aquatic planet. The sky was green and the thin clouds were dark. The buildings she could see, including the landing pad they were parking their ship on, were built on stilts. She connected it to Kamino.

Glancing over at Rex as he put his helmet on, she absently wondered what he thought about it. She decided she’d ask him later.

“Alright, let’s get this done and go back home,” Anakin said without much enthusiasm, standing up from his seat and prompting the others to do the same.

“You sure don’t sound excited, Master,” Ahsoka remarked, smirking.

“Are _you_ looking forward to an hour or longer of talking and politics?”

“Not really, but I am looking forward to making sure our favorite Senator stays safe.”

Both Jedi received a warm grin from Padme before she motioned for them to follow her off the ship. They flanked her on either side, while Rex moved behind them. As they stepped down from the ship, they were greeted by a tall man with pale skin and short black hair, who had presumably been waiting for them to arrive.

“Welcome, Senator Amidala,” the man greeted, hands clasped behind his back. His unreadable gaze moved between the two Jedi, though he seemed to ignore the clone. “I see you’ve brought company as well.”

“Yes, I have,” Padme replied, speaking in the same professional way Ahsoka always heard from her on these diplomatic missions. “I have been a victim of one too many assassination attempts, so they are accompanying me to ensure my safety. I hope that won’t be a problem.”

The man shook his head. “No, not at all, Senator! In fact, it was expected that you’d bring more than one. You know what they say, one can never be too careful. I am sorry to hear of your misfortune. Rest assured that we won’t let it happen here.”

He smiled, though Ahsoka could’ve sworn she saw something behind it. What it was, she wasn’t sure of. She remembered what Anakin told her, straightening her posture a little and relaxing her shoulders. When she studied the man again, smiling back at him to appear friendly, she couldn’t see what she noticed before. Maybe it was paranoia and nothing more.

The man turned, motioning with his hand. “Follow me,” he requested politely. “We can discuss negotiations inside.”

All four of them gave each other a single glance before they followed him into the building. Ahsoka glanced behind her every now and then to check on Rex, since he was at the back of the group. The fact that the man hadn’t looked at him whatsoever didn’t slip past her, and she would bring it up later. For now, she kept her eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

They stopped in the first room, met with a woman holding a silver dish holding four identical-looking beverages. The man nodded to the woman before stepping aside and facing the guests. “Take one, I insist,” he prompted, gesturing to the drinks. “This beverage is quite popular among the other guests we have hosted here. We always offer drinks as a welcome gesture.”

He glanced at Ahsoka. “It contains no alcohol, so our young guest here can have one as well.”

She watched him as he gingerly took one of the glasses off of the dish, the woman approaching the three of them; she seemingly ignored Rex as well. It mildly irritated the Togruta, irritation that Anakin must have sensed, because she received a gentle tap through their bond. She glanced at him, he gave her a look, and she understood. _Stay calm and polite._

Even if he struggled with it too sometimes, but this was not the time to joke about that.

Although she was hesitant, she reached for her drink first. She brought the glass towards her, looking between Padme and Anakin as they accepted theirs. She thought about offering it to Rex, since he was excluded, but she doubted he would want it. He and the other boys preferred alcoholic refreshments, that much she knew. She could already tell from a single glance over her shoulder at him.

The man raised his glass. “To a meeting of peace.”

Wanting to be polite, she raised her glass with the others and toasted before taking a sip. Her eyes widened ever so slightly with surprise. It tasted decent to her, if a little potent; she could understand why past guests would enjoy it.

“Now then! Let us make our way to the meeting chamber, where our planet’s representative is awaiting our arrival.” The man paused briefly, turning to Ahsoka. “However, I must kindly ask you to follow Rylia here to one of our guest rooms.” He was referring to the lady with the now-empty dish. “I do apologize, but young guests are not allowed to actually attend these kinds of meetings here. Do not ask me why, for I don’t know myself.”

She didn’t respond at first, processing what she’d been asked to do. She took one glance at Anakin, who she knew would definitely not approve of her being separated from the rest. They had just met these people, and now she was being told to go to a guest room alone? It sounded off-putting, but if she didn’t comply, she could mess everything up, and there might not be a negotiation at all.

She wasn’t all that surprised when Anakin didn’t object aloud; he was also trying to make everything go as smoothly as possible, despite his reluctance to let her be led to another room. Regardless, he gave her a subtle ‘be careful’ look. At the same time, Padme placed her free hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“We’ll be alright, okay?” she tried to reassure her, smiling warmly. “Go with her. I know you can handle yourself fine. We’ll be done before you know it.”

Ahsoka grinned back, grateful for the support from both of them. “Okay.”

After Padme pulled her hand back, the woman named Rylia turned her attention to her. “Follow me, please,” she said quietly, leading her down a different hallway than the one Padme, Anakin and the tall man were going to head down. Before she started walking, she overheard her Master giving Rex an order, and to her relief, he was told to go with her. She wouldn’t be alone after all.

As they made their way down the carpeted hall, she caught one more glimpse of Anakin and Padme before they disappeared from her sight.

* * *

The walk to the guest room was mostly silent, aside from the occasional polite question from Rylia. Ahsoka had been sipping her drink the entire way, finishing it before they reached their destination.

The door slid open, and the woman stepped aside to let them through. “This room is safe,” she said. “Your friends will be brought here to collect you when the meeting is finished.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Rylia,” she replied kindly, walking into the room with Rex following behind her.

The woman bowed her head and smiled at her. “You’re very welcome.”

With that, she took her leave, and the door shut, leaving Ahsoka and Rex alone. In the room was a single bed, a small stand next to it, a dresser, a carpet, and a window with the curtains drawn closed. Its design was incredibly simple, having little to nothing else in it, but it was still a nice-enough room. At least everything was tidy and organized.

Ahsoka walked over and opened the curtains, letting in the light from outside. It wasn’t much, but it was enough so that she wouldn’t have to turn on the lights. She set her empty glass on the stand, leaning against a wall instead of sitting on the bed. She held her arm at her side and stared at Rex from across the room.

“Hey Rex, does this place remind you of Kamino?” she asked casually. That was a good place to start.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Except it’s murkier, there’s no clone facilities, and there’s none of those longnecks.”

She was amused when he referred to the Kaminoans as longnecks. It was a term her other brothers used, yet she rarely heard Rex use it.

“So, I know you noticed this too, but they were clearly ignoring you,” she explained, not bothering to come up with a smooth lead-in to the conversation she’d been wanting to have since they arrived.

He lifted his hands and removed his helmet, holding it at his side. “Yes, I took notice, sir.”

“I’m sorry, Rex... I would have said something if-”

“No need to apologize, Commander,” Rex interrupted, making his way over to her. “I know you aren’t okay with it, but we clones are used to this kind of treatment from regular folk.”

She frowned sadly, eyes planted on her feet. “Doesn’t make it right,” she whispered.

“I believe we’ve had this conversation before,” he reminded her, not unkindly. “I appreciate your kindness, remember? So do the other boys. How about we talk about something else for now? We have plenty of time to discuss anything else you’d like.”

When she looked up at him, she found he wore a small smile, which made her smile back. As she released her arm, she thought she felt her fingers quivering. She flexed them a few times to make sure.

“Well, let’s see...” She lifted a hand to her chin in thought, mirroring Obi-Wan for a moment. She lowered it again when she got an idea. She scanned the room again, noticing that there were no cameras in sight.

“Can you find any cameras?” she asked Rex, pulling the stand forward to check behind it for anything suspicious-looking. There could be hidden cameras, after all. Taking it as an order to search the room, he searched along with her.

When they were done, making sure everything was as it was when they first came in, they found there were still no cameras. It was strange, but it also came as a relief, for there was no one spying on them. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Okay.” Ahsoka took a deep breath, placing her hands together and flicking her wrists downwards.

“So do you think Anakin and Padme are-”

Rex snorted. “Are you kidding? That’s hardly a secret.”

“Oh, I know! I was just wondering if you knew.”

“Obviously.”

“Yeah, right? They’re more obvious than they think. They make a great pair, though.”

“They do work well together.”

“Yep! I love them. They’re amazing separately _and_ together. I hope the Jedi Order eventually allows Jedi to be married, so they don’t have to hide it, y’know?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever argue otherwise.”

* * *

They continued to chat about various things for another hour, or was it two? Ahsoka wasn’t keeping track of time. All she knew was that it almost felt too long for her liking. If it weren’t for Rex’s company, she would have been bored out of her mind.

They talked about her worries concerning Padme again, how much longer the meeting could possibly go on for, the time Fives tried to start a campfire on the Resolute, the time someone poured salt into Rex’s caf... it was incredible how quickly their conversations went from something serious to something humorous. Needless to say, they were both enjoying themselves.

“Wait, so there was _glitter_ all over the floor?” Ahsoka managed to get out in between breathless giggles.

“Indeed there was, and I rounded up every single possible suspect that morning. Turns out it was Fives - no surprise there - and that’s why glitter is banned on the Resolute until further notice, let alone the barracks.”

Rex was smiling, amused by the memory. “Kix explicitly said so.”

She wheezed, holding her stomach as she nearly doubled over with laughter. “Are you sure _you_ didn’t say so?”

“Oh, I did. He said it _explicitly_.”

“What’s the difference? You both hated it, clearly!”

“Well, since he’s the medic, he gets to threaten to make them apply their own bacta patches the next time they get hurt. Same can’t be said for me.”

“Yeah, right, like he would actually do that.”

“He never has, but the way he says it? It makes you believe he’s actually gonna do it next time.”

“So from what you just said, I’m assuming it’s happened to you before?”

“Yes.”

“What’d you do?”

“Not important.”

“C’mon, Rex!”

“I’ll tell you eventually, littl’un. All in good time.”

She breathed deeply after having laughed so much. Despite how happy she was for the moment, Ahsoka felt... off. Her head had been pounding for a while, yet she managed to hide it from her plan. Her vision had also blurred ever so slightly, but she didn’t notice. She brushed her headache off as being caused by her stressing over Padme’s safety and how long the meeting was taking.

Unfortunately, it soon became clear that something was _wrong_.

“Fine, fine,” she conceded, holding her hands up. She was still standing, and she barely noticed her legs beginning to tremble. “I’ll hold you to that, Rexter.”

She chuckled, but the noise quickly transformed into coughing. She covered her mouth with her fist, her chest heaving as she entered a coughing fit. Her stomach clenched and dropped at the same time.

“Commander?” Rex prompted, worry evident in his voice. “Are you okay?”

She steadied herself, looking up at him with a wavering grin. “I’m fine. I’m... I’m okay, I’m fine.”

He fixed her with a serious look. “You’re starting to sweat and you’re shivering. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“...I am?” She touched her forehead, feeling beads of sweat forming on her skin. Now that she was paying attention, she was feeling a bit feverish. What happened? She hadn’t been around any sick people prior to going on the mission.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” she clarified, yet her voice shook with uncertainty. Right away, she knew he wouldn’t believe her for a second. She ended up proving his point when a dizzy spell overcame her. Her vision doubled as she abruptly swayed to the side.

“Ahsoka!”

Rex dropped his helmet and caught her before she could hit the ground, guiding her to the empty bed. She was too busy fighting the wave of nausea that swept through her to realize Rex had used her name instead of a nickname or formality.

“Steady now.” He spoke quietly as he helped her onto the bed. She sat down and held her head in her hand, her vision swimming.

“Rex, I... I-I don’t feel so well,” Ahsoka stammered, staring at her other hand, which she rested on her lap. She tried to focus on it, to clear her sight even a little, but she could do little to distract herself from how dizzy and sick she felt. She couldn’t stop seeing two copies of her single hand.

She shut an eye when her head pulsed painfully, as if a spike had been drilled into her skull. She vaguely noticed a hand on her shoulder, and since Rex was the only one in the room, it must belong to him, so she didn’t panic. She moved her head to look up at him. Thankfully, her double vision was mostly corrected this time, but he looked more like a blur of colors instead of a solid being.

“Why...? What ha... what happened...?” she slurred, struggling to keep her other eye open. It flicked over to the bed stand, where the empty glass still sat, and it dawned on her. The small potent kick to the flavor made sense now. She should have asked Padme or Anakin how their drinks tasted. If she had, she might’ve figured it out sooner, and they could have left before it got this severe.

The worst part? She wholeheartedly believed whatever toxin they put in her drink had not been meant for her.

“H-help...” She lurched forward and took hold of Rex’s arm with both hands, clinging to him like a lifeline. She struggled to get air into her lungs. “I think I’m gonna... get, get help, get Anakin, P-Padme-”

“Breathe, kid,” Rex attempted to soothe, wrapping an arm around her to hold her up. “I’ve got you.”

He glanced at the empty glass, and as if it clicked in his mind as well, his eyes widened with horror and a new sense of urgency. Even though she was still holding his arm, he managed to get his communicator out to contact the other half of their group.

“General, we have a situation!” he shouted, voice tight with worry. “Something’s wrong with Commander Tano! She’s been poisoned! We need to leave _now!”_

She closed both of her eyes, reaching out to Anakin through their Force bond. _Help me Master, please, I need help, everything hurts and I can’t hold on-_

Her thoughts were violently cut off by the sharp needles jamming themselves into her skull. She winced deeply, yet she could sense _surprise-anger-distress_ coming from her Master through the fog, who was getting closer with every second. Her head lolled back, blurred eyes directed towards the ceiling.

It wasn’t much longer before the door opened, Anakin rushing over to them with Padme in tow. “Ahsoka!” they both cried in tandem.

Rex was still holding her up, her muscles too weak and painful for her to be able to support herself any longer. She was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, leaning her head over to the side to look at them. Intense concern was shared between the two of them.

“Anakin...? Pad... me...?”

Padme frowned worriedly. “We’re here, Ahsoka,” she reassured her softly. “I’m so sorry this happened. Please hold on, okay?”

When she received a stiff nod, she reached out and placed a hand on the girl’s clammy forehead. She noticed the empty glass nearby as she withdrew her hand and set her jaw, turning to Rex.

“You said she was poisoned?” she asked, glancing at Ahsoka with sympathy and heavy guilt in her eyes.

“Yes. It was the drink, someone must have put some kind of poison in there.”

 _“Kriff!”_ Anakin swore loudly, gripping his lightsaber tightly. She twitched slightly at the sound of his voice. She could feel the rolling storm of rage from him without having to spare a glance. “I swear, that good-for-nothing bounty hunter will _pay_ _for this.”_

Padme gave him a concerned look, one that told him they could figure that out later. Grasping his wrist to get his full attention, she shook her head and wordlessly pointed at Ahsoka. He looked to the poor girl, hurt and desperate for help, and decided now was not the time to hunt down the person responsible for poisoning his Padawan.

He took a deep yet quick breath and addressed Rex next. There was no more time to waste. “Captain, can you carry her? We need to get out of here quickly.”

Rex nodded and stood up, laying her back gently on the bed as he prepared to pick her up. “Aggressive negotiations, sir?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Padme lamented, holding up a blaster she’d somehow concealed the entire time they were there. It wasn’t a surprising sight to see. “They hired an assassin to target me. She got away before we could catch her, and now they’re probably sending their guards after us.”

If they were in a different situation, one in which no one was poisoned and they were all running together, they might have joked about how they predicted what would happen when talking about aggressive negotiations back on the ship. However, none of them could have predicted a hidden assassin, one who was out to kill Padme, targeting the wrong person.

Ahsoka’s gaze flicked over to Rex, who took his helmet off the floor and fit it over his head before lifting her up, cradling her carefully. She curled up in his arms, burying her face in his chest plate. She heard shouting out in the hall, drawing closer and closer as they left the room and sprinted down the hall back towards the ship.

She cracked her eyes open a smidge to see a blue glow out of the corner of her eye, which she knew had to belong to Anakin’s ignited lightsaber. Aside from the shouting, she could also hear blaster fire, which would have normally made her alert. In her weakening state, there was nothing she could do to help.

Everything blended together to create a nauseating mixture of sounds as her breathing slowed. She thought she heard someone whispering for her to hold on, to stay awake a little longer because they were _almost out of there,_ but she couldn’t tell who it was in all the noise. It could have been any one of them, and her body still wouldn’t have listened.

In the middle of the chaos, she lost consciousness, her wavering vision turning pitch-black as she went slack in Rex’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> So, in a similar case to Cold Coma, I'm probably gonna end up writing a follow-up to this one, except it's a sequel this time! Basically, Padmom and Dadakin find out who intended to poison the former but ended up hurting their Togruta daughter instead and hunt them down. Don't worry, she gets an antidote before they go off; she's still sick, but at least she isn't dying anymore-
> 
> Dunno when I'll finish that one, but it'll eventually happen!


End file.
